Elijah was a true man of God. He had so much divine faith that when God told him to tell wicked King Ahab that it wasn’t going to rain for three-and-a-half years, he went forth to tell that to the king without one doubt. And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word (I Kings 17:1). And that is exactly what happened.

Elijah had such great faith that he challenged 450 prophets of Baal to a test to prove to them that they were not serving the true and living God. Both Elijah and the prophets of Baal were given a bullock to prepare and put on the altar of sacrifice. Then both Elijah and those prophets were to call upon the name of their god to see which one would answer by fire.

The prophets of Baal went first, and they prayed all day; but their god never answered. Afterward, Elijah doused his sacrifice and the wood it lay on with twelve barrels of water. There was so much water that it filled a trench he had dug under the sacrifice. Then Elijah prayed just a short prayer, and the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench (I Kings 18:38).

Why could Elijah get such miraculous results from God?—because he got ready for the miracle to take place. If you get ready for the miracles you need, the Lord will answer you by fire too. Elijah had to prepare an animal sacrifice; but today, you are the sacrifice. The Bible says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service (Romans 12:1).

God Wants to Make Miracles

Gideon and the children of Israel needed victory over the Midianites, but Gideon was discouraged. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him [Gideon], and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of…but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites (Judges 6:12,13).

So many churches today should be asking, “Where are the miracles?” When God is with you, you are supposed to have miracles because that is what He promised; but God is not with the people in many churches today because they don’t put Him first and serve Him as they should.

And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites (Judges 6:14). God told Gideon the victory would come, but the Lord had to prepare Gideon and his men for that victory to take place.

Gideon got to work and gathered 32,000 strong, healthy, well-trained men to make up his army; and I’m sure he felt secure with all of them until God told him, The people that are with thee are too many (Judges 7:2). Only God knows a person’s heart, and only He knows who is and who is not ready for a miracle.

The Bible says, The LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart (I Samuel 16:7). You may look at some people and think they are definitely ready for God to use them and bless them, but that may not be the case at all. Then you may look at other people and think God could never use them, but the Lord may look upon their heart and say they are ready.

Bow to God’s Preparation

I’m sure Gideon was trying to figure all of this out, so the Lord explained to him why his army could not be that big. Lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early (Judges 7:2,3).

Gideon probably thought just a few men would leave, so I’m sure he was completely shocked when there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand (Judges 7:3). There are times when the Lord has to work on you so you will get rid of your ambitions and humble yourself before the Lord. Your whole thinking has to change, and that was the case with Gideon and those men. God wanted everyone to know that the miracle victory was going to come from Him.

After that jolt, the Lord said to Gideon again, The people are yet too many (Judges 7:4). Gideon was probably thinking, “Lord, not again.” But Gideon and those men were still not ready for the fantastic miracle God was going to bring about. Then God put those men to one last test when He told Gideon to take the men down to the water and have them drink. And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place (Judges 7:6,7).

I’m sure Gideon had no idea what to think with just 300 soldiers left, but God finally had a group of men who were ready to be used; and it didn’t matter to Him at all that there were just 300. When it was time for God to move, the Bible tells us, And they stood every man in his place (Judges 7:21). That means all the men finally were ready for the miracle to take place, and that is exactly what happened. And all the host ran, and cried, and fled (Judges 7:21).

Mary and Martha Were Not Ready

God promised His people miracles. Jesus said, All things are possible to him that believeth (Mark 9:23). When a synagogue ruler was told his daughter had died, Jesus said, Believe only, and she shall be made whole (Luke 8:50). God wants us to be well. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth (III John 1:2). When God is with you, you are supposed to have miracles. If you are not having them, there is something wrong.

Lazarus’ sisters were not ready for a miracle to take place. When Jesus arrived in Bethany after Lazarus had died, both Martha and Mary said to Him, If thou hadst been here, my brother had not died (John 11:21, 32). But Jesus said, Thy brother shall rise again (John 11:23). Mary and Martha believed Lazarus would rise again in the resurrection of the dead in Christ at the last day, but they weren’t ready for what Jesus was about to do; so He had to prepare them.

When they arrived at the place where Lazarus had been buried, Jesus said, Take ye away the stone (John 11:39). Martha said, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God (John 11:39,40)?

Finally, Jesus told the people to roll away the stone from the burial place. Then He cried, Lazarus, come forth (John 11:43). To the amazement of all who were there, a great miracle took place. When Jesus tells you to take away the stone, do you do it without one doubt; or do you make excuses?

Always Remember God’s Miracles

You should never get over receiving a miracle from God. It should live with you for the rest of your life and fill you with gratitude. Always remembering what God has done for you can lift you up when nothing else can. In those dark hours when the devil is fighting you so hard and trying to make you think God has forgotten you, your miracle will let you know that the devil is a liar; and the Lord cares.

Not long after Angel and I were married, I became very ill. If I ate, I felt like I was dying; and if I didn’t eat, I was starving. It seemed like the flesh was just melting from my bones, and my eyes were sunken far back in my head. It seemed like Jesus wasn’t going to heal me, and I knew I could die any day; but then, Jesus stepped in and healed me all over. It was a miracle from On High, and I have carried that miracle with me for all these years.

If God didn’t forget me when I was so down and out, I know He will never forget me in any situation. He healed me for a purpose, and I know I’m on a divine mission for Him. When God gives you a miracle, He wants to use you; and He wants you to be a witness for Him. That’s why the devil will do everything he can to make you think you didn’t get a miracle. He will try to explain the miracle away, bring you false symptoms or even steal it from you altogether. Jesus said, The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10).

So many people live in spiritual darkness; and when a miracle takes place, a great light shines into the dark corners of their hearts. The people which sat in darkness saw great light (Matthew 4:16). Miracles make an impression on people that they can’t get away from, especially if it is a family member or close friend.

Be Willing to Do the Little Things

Jesus said, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you (Luke 11:9). God will never ask you to do big things, just simple things; but that is where many people stumble. You may be seeking God for a need to be fulfilled, and you are looking for something big you need to do to be able to receive; but God didn’t make man to do big things.

When Namaan was seeking a miracle for his leprosy, Elisha told him, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean (II Kings 5:10). When Jesus healed a man of palsy, He said, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk (John 5:8).

Some of you can’t get ready for a miracle because you are always looking for something big you need to do. When you can’t find anything, you get discouraged and give up when what you need to do is look a little lower and humble yourself a little more. Only then will you see the simple, little things that need to be done, things you may never have bowed low enough to see before. They may not be things you want to do, but you must do them if you want God to move for you. Would you have walked around the walls of Jericho for seven days without complaining or saying a word? It wasn’t a big, complicated thing, but that’s what God wanted those people to do.

When Jesus multiplied the loaves and the fishes, all the little boy had to do was give Jesus his basket. I’m sure that boy had been there all day, and that was the only food he had; but when the disciples told him the Master needed it, he willingly gave it. Then Jesus blessed those five little loaves and two fish, and there was enough to feed 5000 men. Would you have given Jesus your only basket of food? When the Lord asks you to do something, you should consider it to be the greatest honor ever. Then He will multiply His blessings to you and use you to bless others.

Get Rid of Mind Clutter

The Lord could easily tear down your door, barge into your house, tie you up and make you sit there while He gets you ready for a miracle; but He won’t do that. You are the one who has to prepare yourself. There comes a time when you have to get away from the internet, turn off the television, silence your phone and take time with God. If God isn’t blessing you like you think He should be, then it may be because you’re not doing all God wants you to.

You may complain about your aching back, but it’s no wonder when you have been sitting in front of the TV for three hours or more. You may say you feel so depressed; but what do you expect when you have been listening to the blues on the radio all day and watching news reports about people dying? When your stomach is upset, you try to remember what you put in it that could have caused it to hurt, but do you ever consider what you’re putting in your mind?

If I could take inventory of what is on each person’s mind during a church service, there would be washing machines, dirty dishes, unmade beds, laundry, lawn mowers and so many other things going on. The Lord promised you peace and joy, but you can’t have them when your mind is already full of other things. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee (Isaiah 26:3).

You have to get ready for miracles. Reach out for them, and you will have them; but if you make room for doubt, you will hinder what God is trying to do for you.

Willingly Give to God

The Lord asks you to give to Him in tithes and offerings, and it’s not because He needs your money. He has so much gold that the streets of Heaven are paved with it, and the gates of Glory are made of massive pearls. God asks you to give because He wants you to love Him so much that you will say, “Here it is, Lord. I gladly give it to you.” With an attitude like that, you are ready for miracles.

You must willingly give God everything—your life, your time, your finances, your talents. Some of you are willing to give God some things but not all things. You may be willing to give money to the Lord; but you won’t give Him any time in prayer, fasting or reading the Word. How can you be too busy to spend time with the One who gave His life for you?

You may tithe ten percent of the money you make to the Lord, but you won’t give Him ten percent of your day. You may think you just don’t have that kind of time; but if someone asks you to go shopping, fishing, golfing or hiking, off you go. There’s nothing wrong with those things, but there is if you spend more time doing them than you do with the Lord. If you really want the Lord to bless you, start tithing your time. Then you will be ready for not just one miracle but every miracle you need.

This is the season of the latter rain of the Spirt for the great, miraculous works of Christ, and you can have whatever miracle you may need. Peter said to a man who had never walked, In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk…and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. (Acts 3:6,7). You can have a miracle too. You just have to be ready to receive and keep your eyes on Jesus.